Quarterback Carson Palmer #3 of the Oakland Raiders passes as Glenn Dorsey #72 of the Kansas City Chiefs applies pressure during the game on December 24, 2011 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Quarterback Carson Palmer #3 of the Oakland Raiders passes as Glenn Dorsey #72 of the Kansas City Chiefs applies pressure during the game on December 24, 2011 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

Only the Raiders can have 10 penalties in the first half, 15 in the game, and still win. Only the Raiders can have their defense give up two late drives but force overtime with Richard Seymour's second blocked field goal of the game.

And only the Raiders can save a play call the whole game - the entire game - and then use it on the first play of overtime, Carson Palmer hitting Darrius Heyward-Bey with a 53-yard bomb. That set up Sebastian Janikowski's 36-yard field goal 2:13 into sudden death, which gave Oakland the 16-13 win Saturday that kept its playoff hopes alive.

"The man told me, 'Hue, we'll win it in the end.' I believe that," said Jackson, reflecting on a conversation he had with Al Davis before the Raiders owner died in October. "I don't know how it's going to happen. I don't care how it's going to happen."

After he talked to reporters, Jackson hugged Raiders chief executive Amy Trask, and the two walked arm in arm. Probably discussing the playoff picture.

The Raiders (8-7) now can win the AFC West with a home win over San Diego (7-8) next week and a Denver (8-7) loss to visiting Kansas City (6-9). Denver would take the tiebreaker over Oakland with a better record against common opponents, thanks to its win over Miami and the Raiders' loss to the Dolphins. If both win and the Raiders get help, there are ways for Oakland to win the wild card.

"It's coming down to the end of the year, a home playoff game in the Black Hole," Seymour said. "A home game to get into the playoffs. That's all you can ask. An opportunity to get in the dance is all you want."

Oakland won in Kansas City for the fifth straight time and swept the AFC West teams on the road for the second straight season.

The Raiders took a 13-6 lead on Janikowski's 31-yard field goal with 2:57 left, but then the defense seemed to go into a shell, much like last week when the Lions scored 14 points in the last 4:59 to win.

Kyle Orton had a swing pass to Dexter McCluster that went for 49 yards, and Dwayne Bowe had three catches for 31 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown on which he posted up cornerback Stanford Routt with 1:02 left.

If that five-play, 80-yard drive wasn't bad enough, the Chiefs got the ball back with 16 seconds left after the Raiders went three-and-out. Kyle Orton hit Bowe for 25 yards across the middle, then Terrance Copper for 11 yards, and Ryan Succop came on for the game-winning 49-yard field goal.

Succop had made 22 straight field goals before Seymour's first block at the end of the first half. But once again, the Raiders were able to get a big push up the middle, and Seymour stuck up his paw for the game-saving block.

"We had four guys pushing on two," he said. "Linebackers (Aaron Curry and Quentin Groves) just put a lot of pressure, we were able to knock the line of scrimmage back, and I got a hand up."

Then, on the first play of overtime, Heyward-Bey sold a post pattern to Chiefs safety Kendrick Lewis and headed for the right corner. Palmer hit him at the Chiefs' 23-yard line. Jackson said he had been running Michael Bush on first down the whole game to set up the big play.

"It was the right time to call it," said Palmer, who had a 61-yard touchdown pass to Denarius Moore in the third quarter. "I wanted it earlier, but we saved it for the right time. The protection was flawless, and the route was great."

Two Michael Bush runs later, Janikowski came on to win a game that at times resembled a preseason game more than a game between teams with playoff aspirations.

The Raiders committed 15 penalties for 92 yards, with a delay-of-game call wiping out a 36-yard touchdown on a fake field goal shovel pass from Shane Lechler to Brandon Myers.

Ten of those penalties and Palmer's two interceptions came in the first half. While some players said they were relieved to be tied 3-3 at halftime despite all that, Jackson was upset.

"I'm not relieved now," Jackson said. "I'm glad we won. I'm pissed at where we are because I know what's in that locker room."

Of the 15 penalties, Jackson said, "it's Week 15, you would think some things we would understand by now."

And of the Chiefs passing down the field the last two drives, Jackson said, "That's Raider football right now. That's the way it's been. ... Am I disappointed that I wish things were different? Yes.

"But at the end of the day, this game is about winning."

Pick prone

Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer is among the league leaders in interceptions despite playing in only nine games. Here are the quarterbacks with 15-plus picks, and what percentage of their passing attempts have been intercepted:

Playoff picture

The Raiders can win the AFC West with a home win over San Diego and a Denver home loss to Kansas City. If both the Raiders and Broncos win, the Raiders earn the wild card if Cincinnati loses at home to Baltimore and either the Titans lose at Houston or the Jets win at Miami.

Around the NFL

-- Perhaps the Tim Tebow magic has run out. The Broncos were crushed by the Bills 40-14 on Saturday for Denver's second straight loss. Tebow, left, threw a career-worst four interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

Latest from the SFGATE homepage:

Click below for the top news from around the Bay Area and beyond. Sign up for our newsletters to be the first to learn about breaking news and more. Go to 'Sign In' and 'Manage Profile' at the top of the page.